Aaron Hernandez Found Dead In Prison Cell Following Acquittal

Prison officials say that Aaron Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell after hanging himself early Wednesday morning. Hernandez, the former NFL star who was serving a life sentence for a 2013 murder, was acquitted just a few days ago for a double murder in 2012.

According to ESPN, prison officials didn’t note any signs of mental or emotional distress from Hernandez as they would’ve transferred him to a mental health unit if he were.

In 2012, Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado were fatally shot the same night that one of them spilled a drink on Hernandez. The former New England Patriot was acquitted of those charged on Friday, but convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm. A Suffolk Superior Court judge sentenced him to four to five years in prison outside of his life sentence.

Feelings over Hernandez’ death are mixed, to say the least. Some feel indifferent while others are passionately in support of or against his decision to ultimately take his own life.

The families of de Abreu and Furtado don’t know exactly how to feel.

“The family has their own loss to concentrate on, the loss of these two young fellows,” William Kennedy, the attorney for Furtado’s estate, told The Boston Globe. “I don’t think they take any joy in the loss of the Hernandez family. . . . That’s the way they are. They keep God in their hearts at all times.”

Hernandez’ death, somewhat ironically, comes the same day the New England Patriots are scheduled to visit the White House after winning the Super Bowl in February. A handful of players elected to not attend the visit due to President Trump’s controversial views and politics.

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Keith Reid-Cleveland is a proud product of Chicago's Southside and the Missouri School of Journalism. The Black Youth Project News Editor has written about politics, race and entertainment for multiple publications, such as Uproxx, The Undefeated, Black Nerd Problems, Comic Book Resources and more.